Gas producer



ATTY.

INVENTUR J. MAWSON GAS PRODUCER Original Filed Oct. 7, 1920 Feb. 7, 1928.

Patented Feb. 7, 1928.

ICE.

JOHN MAWSON, OF- VINE PLACE, SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR,

SIGNMENTS, TO CHAS. T. KNAPP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

GAS PRODUCER.

Application filed October 7, 1920, Serial No. 415,249. Renewed June 27, 1927.

This invention relates to a process of and apparatus for producing combustible gases by the reaction of a heated fuel with air and water, and my object is to devise a process of gas production and producer for use therein which will enable gas to be produced economically and with the use of a minimum amount of air. 7

I attain my object by means of the process hereinafter set forth and by means of the constructions hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which y Fig. 1 is a vertical section of my lmproved gas producer;

Fig. 2 is a cross section ofhalf of the same on the line a-b in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section of half of the lower part of the generator taken on a plane at right angles to the plane OfSeC-j tion of Fig. 1; and s .Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modification thereof.

In the drawings like numerals of refer-- ence indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

l is the outer casing of the gas producer, which is preferably formed of sheet metal suitably heat insulated. A preferable plan is to form the casing with double walls packed with asbestos or mineral wool. At the lower end of this casing is located the ashpit 2 of similar construction to the casing. The ashpit is provided with the usual air-tight ashpit door 3. Spaced from the outer casing is an inner casing 4 the space between the two casings forming a vaporizing chamber 5.

Within the lower 4 is located the firepot 6, the walls of which will usually be formed of some suitable refractory material and will be of considerable thickness, as shown. 1

7 is a feed tube for the fuel suitably supported from the casing, which feed tube is of substantially the same cross sectional form and dimensions as the interior of the fire pot and extends down towards, but not quite to the upper end of the fire pot, thus forming with the upper part of the inner casing a gas chamber 24.. With the feed tube communirates the fuel hopper 8, preferably provided with two charging doors 9.

In the vaporizing chamber 5 is located the vaporizing coil 10, which is of helical form mg chamber, and

. wise be possible.

part of the inner casing I and located close to the outer wall of the BY mnsivn Ateinner casing 4, in which position it is best exposed to the conducted and radiated heat from the fire pot and gas-space. At its u per end this coil extends out through t e outer casing and is connected with a suitable source of water supply, such, for example, as a tank ll. A suitable valve 12 is provided whereby the water sup 1y may be controlled. The vaporizing 001? has small apertures a formed'therein at different parts of its length through which water and va or may escape to the vaporizing chamber. Aihy,

equivalent of the coil may of course be employed.

Special means are provided for'introduc- I ing-an extra quantity of water into the vaporizing chamber at suitable times. vThese means comprise a single preferably located at the top of the vaporizcommunicatin arate tank 21 or other source 0% supply un-" der pressure. This coil is preferably provided with small apertures a through which the water may drip. A controlling valve 22 and drip tube 23 will also be provided by means of which the water admitted may be controlled and its flow observed.

With the vaporizing chamber communicates the pipe 14 through which air may be blown, the gas chamber communicates with the gas outlet pipe 15. The fire pot is provlded with any suitable form of ate. I prefer, however, to employ a grate having a drop in the'centre to allow of greater area of air space in the course, that in practice any suitable means may be provided for shaking the grateand for breaking up and extracting clinker's.

pipe or coil 20,

with a sepi' grate than would other, It Wlll be understood, of

The lower end of the vaporizing chamber 5 is closed by an annular plate 17, save for an opening 18 at a point remote from the ashpit door. The grate is shielded by a hood 19, which is closed except at the front adjacent to the ashpit door. The water vapor in the vaporizing chamber together i with any air introduced through the pipe 14 thus travels to the back of the producer and i all around the hood enclosing the grate before it can pass into the hood and then up through the grate into the fire bed of the producer. The steam and air introduced into the producer must therefore pass over a maximum of heating surface, so that they acquire the temperature which I is nee.- essary to secure the reaction desired. The hood is, of course, sufliciently spaced from the grate to enable ashes to be readily raked out therefrom.

A ve important feature of my invention is the s aping of the fire pot. As will be seen particularly on reference to Fig. 2, the

fire pot in horizontal crosssection 1s materially greater in diameter in one direction than in a direction substantially at right angles thereto, the preferred form be ng that of an oblong parallelogram wit rounded corners as shown. Great surface area in roportion to cubical contents 15 thus obtained not only for the fire pot, but for the vaporizing chamber as well, which is of great advantage in the adequate heating of the steam and air admitted.

If eater capacity he desired in the vaporizin chamber its walls need not parallel the we of the fire pot but might be made circular, see Fig. 4. The mode of operation of the producer is substantially as follows. A lighted newspaper is inserted through the top and a sultablequantity of charcoal is immediately put in on top of the lighted paper. Air is then blown in throu hthe airpipe 14, and as soon as the charcoal is well alight, the charcoal, coke, or other fuel, on which the producer operates is introduced. The fuel openings are closed and care is taken to see that they are properly sealed. Water is turned on as soon as the producer is closed and is allowed to drip slowly into the vaporizing.

coils 10 and 20. The blower is kept in operation until gas of suitable uality is being generated, when the air is c osed oil and a run is made introducing water only. At any time air ma J pipe 14 as may e necessarym find it desirable to maintain suflicient depth of fuel in the active fire zone to give thorough contact of the reactive gases and solids at the rate of flow of gas through the fuel bed which I find desirable, that is about one cubic foot per second. Length of con tact between the reactive uses and solids at high temperatures is of t e reatest importance in securing a gas of big thermal value rich in methane. The gas produced by my gocess I find on analysis to be a mixture of CO, CH,, and (3 11 in various proportions with a very little CO 0 and N In operation the fuel bed after being fired is in constant activity without any lessening of such activity. The water is delivered in measured quantities into the vaporizer. It is there vaporized and delivered from the vaporizer and passes through the fire in measured quantities. This passing through the fuel zone is continuous and hence there can be and is no lessening of the activity of the firebed.

be blown in, through the The present well known process desig nated shooting the bed is accom lished by projectin live steam into the cat zone. This gradually lowers the temperature and a stoppage must be made in the process until the heat is again raised. This is known as the intermittent process and is in general use in this country. It will readily be seen that my process is quite different. There is no stoppage of the process or of the delivery of the water into the vaporizer, for the water being in measured uantities delivers continuously and, as sma l amounts of air are added from time to time to supplement the oxygen of the disassociated steam when necessary, there is no lessening of the activity in the fire zone or lowering of the temperature therein.

To maintain the rate of flow the gas produced must pass away quickly and the vaporizing chamber must be supplied with water at a ,corresponding rate and the vaporized water must flow at the proper rate to the fuel bed. All this can best be accomplished by maintaining a suitable suction on the producer by any suitable means.

A very important feature of my process is that in the vaporizing chamber the water introduced is not only vaporized but is heated to a very high. temperature so that the water enters the fuel in the form of a highly heated steam vapor which requires to take up very little extra heat tobring it to the temperature of reaction with the carbon and the fuel.

' The result is that the process is very economical and that a gas of high thermal value is obtained containing a large proportion of methane and very little carbon dioxide and nitrogen.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A gas producer comprising outer and nner'walls spaced apart forming a vaporizng chamber therebetween, a vaporizing coil 111-. said chamber, a firepot shaped substantially as an oblong parallelogram, and surrounded by said vaporizing chamber, a grate having a sunken central portion at the bottom 0 the firepot, a hood beneath said grate spaced apart therefrom and having open commumcation at one end with said vaporizmg chamber.

2. A gas producer provided with a fire pot having a grate at its bottom; a vaporiz- 1n chamber around the firepot; a closed as pit below the grate communicating with the vaporizing chamber; and a hood fitted under the grate having an opening into the ashplt at one side of the grate.

3. A gas producer provided with a firepot having a grate at'its bottom; a vaporizmg chamber around the fire pot; a closed ash pit below the grate communicating with the vaporizing chamber at one side only of the grate; and a hood fitted under the grate chamber) having an opening into the ashpit at the side of the grate Opposite to the communication between the vaporizing chamber and the ashpit.

4. A gas producer provided wlth a firev pot having a large surface area in proporwev therein, anashpit beneath theffiifepo having communication with the vaporlz'ing chamber, a hood beneath the fire pot but spaced apart therefrom and havin open firepot, a gasnutlet leading from said chamber, a vaporizing coil located in the vaporizing chamber, said coil having apertures thereof, means for introducin vaporizing coil, and into t chamber, independently of the .izingcoil. a 9 uter and inner walls wspaced apartftoform water in said e vaporizing formed therein along the entire length a aforesaid .va-

In a gas producer, the combinatioii' V a vaporizing chamber therebetween ofapproximately circular cross section, a firepot within the inner walls which is greater in communication on one end thereofwlth the diameter in one direction than in a direcpit below the grate; an annnla the bottom of the vaporizln ashpit, the steam discharging i on-ah porizi'ng chamber into the ashpit at;

of the hood to the firepot. 5. A gas producer provlded, pot having a grate at its botto ing chamber about the firepot;

are closing mber an 'llavll'lg an opening atone si ecommunicats ing with the vaporizing chambemgand a hood fitted under the'gratehaving an opening into the ashpit at on" side ofthe grate. firepot which 6. A gas producer hay in horizontal cross sectlo the firepot; a closed ashpit below the grate communicating with the vaporizing chamber "diametrically, opposite the communication between 1th comprising outer and an gasp rode part and forming a vaerebetween; a fire ot above the firepot, an ashpit below the grate,

a feed tube dischargingfitowards the firepot, a gas outletextendingffrom the aforesaid gas chamber," ai vjaporizin ZCOil 'iiifthG vaporizing chamber, said coil 7 aving- .apertures therein at intervals along the entire length thereof, andimeans forintroducing water in said vaporizing. chamber independent of the aforesaid vaporizing" coil.v 8. In a gas producer, the combination of outer and-inner walls spaced apart to form a vaporizing'chamber therebetween, a firepot within the inner wall, a grate for said firepot, a gas chamber above the firepot, an ashpit below said grate, the aforesaid vaporizing chamber having open communication with the ashpit, a feed tube extending towards the firepot, said feed tube forming the inner wall of the gaschamber above the g tion at right angles thereto, a v sire thereof, and passing through the open end :18 greater. in dig ameter in one directionf' than direction substantially at rightangi es to the. direction of greatest diameter; a "grate: atthe' bottom of the .firepot'; a vaporizing chamber aBout shpit and, the vaporizing-1 a .t1on concentric walls spacedapart from each the grate formed extending from the to to the bottom thereof, and having a p urality of openings formed along the length thereof, means for suppling water to said vaporizing coil, and means for supplying water and air to the vaporizing chamber independently of the aforesaid coil. 7 I

10. Ina gas producer, the combination of outer and inner walls spaced apart to form a vaplorizing chamber therebetween, a firepot wit in the inner wall which in horizontal section is greater in diameter in one direction than in'a direction at right angles thereto, agvaporizing coil extending from the top to the bottom of the va orizing chamber in a helical direction, an means for introducing air and Water into the va porizing chamber and water into the coil independently of each other, and directing the flow of gases from the vaporizingchanig, her into thefirepot of the producer.

1-1. A gas producer including in combinaother forming a vaporizing chamber extending from the 'top to the bottom of said walls, a perforated coil between said walls forming a helically shaped vaporizer in which steam is generated and directed into the aforesaid vaporizing chamber, a firepot within the inner Wall which is larger in diameter in one direction than in the other, a grate for said firepot, a gas chamber above partly by said inner wall, an ashpit below the grate, and ahood beneath said grate, said hood having an opening at one end thereof, ,through which the steam from'the vaporizing chamber travels on its way to the firepot of the producer.

12. A gas producer including in combination concentric walls spaced apart from each other forming a vaporizing chamber, a firepot inside the inner wall, a grate, a gas chamber above the firepot, an ashpit below said grate, a hood beneath said grate having an opening in one end thereof, a perforated coil between said walls forming a helical vaporizer extending from the top to the part of said coil, a fire ot within the inner wall, a grate for the re ot, a gas chamber above the firepot, an a hood beneath said grate having'an opening in one side farthest from the discharge opening from the vaporizing chamber whereby steam from the vaporizing chamber may pass to the firepot of the producer.

Signed at Chicago, 111., this 28th day of September, 1920.

JOHN MAWSON. 

